


Owner of My Heart - Alternate Ending

by nychus



Series: Owner of My Heart [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alpha Noctis Lucis Caelum, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M, Omega Ignis Scientia, Rape/Non-con Elements, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:28:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24025105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nychus/pseuds/nychus
Summary: What if Noctis didn't reach Ignis before Ardyn and Besithia could break the bond?This is a darker timeline for the fic Owner of My Heart. It's not darkest timeline, but it's not for the faint of heart.
Relationships: Ardyn Izunia/Ignis Scientia, Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia
Series: Owner of My Heart [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1733050
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15





	Owner of My Heart - Alternate Ending

**Author's Note:**

> This most likely doesn't make sense without knowing the first story, but brief summary:
> 
> Ignis passed as beta, was discovered to be omega while living in Niflheim with his parents. Some old tradition of the Niffs gifting an omega to the Lucian heir found Ignis belonging to Noctis. They fall in love, bond, all is great. Noct and co. head out on the field trip to collect royal arms as per tradition of Lucian heirs. Fun times are had, except for two main things:
> 
> 1 - they go to Costlemark and find both Ignis and Prompto are drawn to it. Solheim had been keen on keeping their omegas under control and the magic still worked all those millennia later. The Niffs had also been using that magic, incorporating it into their tech to keep their omegas under control. Prompto, being a failed MT is affected by the magic, despite being beta. Handwavey explanation being omegas that birth the MTs (alphas that are converted) have lived for so long/so many generations in the middle of the magic that it somehow affects the offspring.
> 
> 2 - Ignis and Prompto get kidnapped, compelled to go with the Niffs because the old Solheim magic used. Since Prompto was an unexpected bonus, Ignis bartered for him, invoking an old obscure law, and promising he would go willingly if they send Prompto to be put under house arrest with the Scientias.
> 
> Ignis is then to become Ardyn's new omega but is thwarted by Noct's claim. Besithia says he can break it and this story is what would happen if Noctis can't reach Ignis in time.

Getting the news that Prompto was safe (and with Ignis’s parents no less!) lightened the mood considerably. Even though they still didn’t know where Ignis was, it felt one step closer to getting him back.

The met with Cor in Galdin and went over the plan with him. The Prince of Lucis was to make an official visit to Gralea. He would go in and politely ask for his friends back, assure the Empire that he knew what a big misunderstanding this all was. Cor had official documents for both Prompto and Ignis and so there was no denying they belonged in Lucis.

The ferry ride to Niflheim was rather uneventful. Noctis spent his time worrying about Ignis, talking with Prompto through the notebook, or going over all the details in his head about what he needed to say.

It was while they were in the train, barreling towards the capital city that Noctis’s world crashed around him. One second, he’s dozing against the window of their private compartment and the next he’s screaming at the most heart-wrenching pain coursing through him.

The bond had been broken as if snapped in two and Ignis’s half was tossed out the speeding train’s window. There was only one way to break a bond and that was through death. Ignis had died and Noctis wished that he could to.

He completely broke down and it took a lot of encouragement and kind words from Gladio and Cor to get him calm. It took stronger, but no less kind, words from his father to get him to do what was needed.

The crowds that had gathered to see the prince from the enemy country were shocked at how despondent he was. When he met with Chancellor Izunia, he apologized for his behavior, only citing that someone very dear to him passed suddenly while on the journey. The Chancellor was sympathetic and did nothing but apologize for the accidental kidnapping of his friends. He made a show of searching for where both Prompto and Ignis were, frowning when he couldn’t find anything on the omega. He promised that the Empire would search for the lost omega and send him to Noctis immediately.

Noctis thanked him before taking the address for where Prompto was staying and heading straight there. Noctis hated that he was about to meet Ignis’s parents for the first time only to have to tell them their son was dead.

They knew, or at least, Prompto had guessed based on what he was seeing from the news reports. If it wasn’t Regis who had died, it had to have been Ignis. He’d warned the Scientias what news might be brought and he hated that he had been correct. Prompto held Noctis as the prince once again broke down while Gladio and Cor spoke with the Scientias.

Not being able to properly meet Ignis’s parents, being afraid to look at them because Ignis was so much like them, made Noctis miserable. Feeling like he should be happy to know his best friend was safe and yet only feeling heartbreak over the loss of his mate made it worse. All parties agreed that there was nothing to worry about, they understood. Serena Scientia gave Noctis a stuffed tonberry that had been Ignis’s favorite as a little boy. Noctis promised to send some things from Ignis’s life in Lucis after they returned.

They left for home the next day, the others guarding Noctis from the paparazzi and yelling that the prince needed his time to mourn. He remained silent for the entire journey to Insomnia, hardly letting go of the little tonberry, and grieving the loss of his most wonderful mate.

~*~*~*~*~

Ignis wasn’t dead, not that the life he was currently living counted for much more than dead. Besithia’s drug had worked. It attacked the remnants of Noctis’s bond and treated it like an infection. It was powerful and previously untested. Even Besithia didn’t know how long it would be before a new claim could be made. Ignis’s blood was drawn weekly and tested against alpha saliva but it had yet to relent to the invader.

The magic of Solheim was keeping him in such a state that his mind was easily molded to how Ardyn wanted it to be. The Keep’s omegas were constantly giving him a string of how lucky he was to be with them and how terrible it had been in Lucis. It didn’t take long for him to start believing what they were saying.

Still, Ardyn was careful and didn’t allow Ignis the same freedoms that the other omegas had. Ignis had to keep the band on to enhance the magic’s effects. He wasn’t ever allowed to be alone and even had someone join him in the bathroom whether it was to use the toilet or the tub.

Ignis was also convinced that getting knotted by Ardyn or whatever alpha the chancellor seemed fit was a privilege. Oh how lucky he was to be so sought after. Ardyn never left him alone with another alpha, however, convinced that he’d be bitten if not properly watched.

Truly, it didn’t take long for Ignis to believe the lies he had been fed. The constant string of insistences on the magical influence could break the strongest of minds.

The dreams though. The dreams that Ignis had were ones that he wanted to reach for and remember. They seemed so important and real. As if there was someone out there calling to him. At first a faceless figure. As the dreams continued, the figure began to take shape: thin, pale, dark hair. But the face was always just out of view. Always covered or blurred. Ignis knew this person was important, knew this person was who he needed to get back to.

But he didn’t know who this person was. He assumed this person was in Lucis because the other omegas had long insisted that Lucis was terrible, but he had no way of getting there to begin looking.

Then the magic started. Dreams of being able to hold flames and pull things out of thin air. He’d occasionally jolt awake in the pile of omegas he was buried under each night. He wanted so badly to test the magic of the dreams, but he was never alone when he’d wake and then he’d forget until the next dream.

It was several months before the restrictions began to be lessened for him. He slowly was allowed to bathe on his own or take naps without another omega piling on top of him. He could actually find some alone time to try to figure out if he could do the magic, but he had to remember to do so. The dreams were forgotten soon after waking and so he needed to be able to sneak away just after waking from one.

And then he got the chance. He woke with a start from a dream and he was able slip away to the bathroom. He knew he didn’t have a lot of time but he stared at his hand and wondered how magic worked. How did one pull something from nothing? He thought back to the dream. What had he pulled? He couldn’t remember. He tried and tried to will something, anything, but he couldn’t get his mind to focus correctly. Eventually, out of frustration he through his right hand out only to find it suddenly holding a dagger.

He was so shocked that he dropped it, there was a clang as it hit the floor and he knew he had seconds before someone came to check on him.

“Go away,” he begged and was surprised when it did. Only, it had left something behind. A piece of paper that had been taped to it. He snatched it up just as there was a knock on the door.

“Are you okay?” a voice came through the door.

“Yes, I knocked the soap dispenser over,” Ignis lied. A believable lie, as the dispenser was metal and could likely make a similar noise.

The note read _There’s a notebook to use._ Ignis didn’t know what it meant, but he knew he couldn’t figure it out now. He also knew he couldn’t keep the paper and so he flushed it down the toilet before washing his hands and heading to bed.

~*~*~*~*~

It had been eight months and twenty-three days since Ignis had died. It still hurt like hell but Noctis was beginning to get better at hiding the pain. He wondered if it ever got easier. He sometimes thought about asking his dad, but then he’d remember all the times he’d caught Regis looking at a picture or portrait of Aulea and how sad he’d become… Somehow, Noctis figured it never got easier, one just got better and better at hiding it.

He was in his office working on a budget when he felt the pull of the armiger. Nothing unusual; he was used to it by now as Gladio and Prompto were often pulling things out and putting things back in. He was pretty sure that they were down in the training rooms, but he was tired of looking at numbers and decided to see what they were working on.

It was easy to take inventory of the Armiger and so Noctis quickly took stock of the weapons, frowning when he realized nothing had been removed. He then worked his way through other items before realizing that the notebook was missing.

Panicked, Noctis searched for it a few times, tried to pull it out again and again even though it never came. Why would they take the notebook? They shouldn’t even know the notebook was still in there! It had been good to communicate with Prompto when his friend had been taken to Niflheim and then after losing Ignis, Noctis used it to write to his omega, tell him what his day had been like and how much he missed him. It was cathartic, giving him an outlet for his grief and no one was supposed to know about it.

Grabbing his phone, he quickly dialed Gladio.

“What’s up?” Gladio answered.

“Is Prompto with you?”

“Yeah.” Noctis heard Gladio call for Prompto. “What’s the matter?”

“Who took the notebook?”

“What notebook?” Gladio and Prompto asked at the same time.

“The notebook! In the Armiger! Why would you take it out?”

“What notebook?” Gladio asked again.

“We didn’t take out any notebook,” Prompto said at the same time.

“It’s the notebook that I put in the Armiger to communicate with Prompto when… Look, just put it back. Please. It’s private.”

“Dude, I promise, neither of us took the notebook,” Prompto said.

Before Noctis could answer, he felt the pull on the Armiger and he quickly pulled out the notebook now that it was back where it belonged.

“Thank you. Just, please, don’t pull it out again. Please.”

“Noct, we didn’t do anything,” Gladio said, but Noctis figured they just didn’t want to get in trouble. Perhaps they pulled it by mistake and now that they knew, they were going to play dumb.

“It’s fine, just, don’t take it again. I’ve gotta go,” Noctis said before quickly hanging up.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Noctis held the notebook close to his chest for several minutes before finally looking at it. It was such an unassuming thing, purchased in haste before leaving Lestallum on their way to Galdin and other than a few notes back and forth with Prompto, it was nothing but tear-stained pages of Noctis’s sorrow.

He flipped it open, thinking he’d write a quick something to Ignis to tell him that Gladio and Prompto almost found his inner most thoughts and how much pain he was really in. But then he got to the last page written on and stared.

Written in blood, in a shaky but distinctive script were the words “Help me.”

~*~*~*~*~

There had been something about the note, the writing on it, the messy scrawl and the narrow loops of the ‘e’s that Ignis remembered. Consistently remembered. It wasn’t like with the dreams. The dreams he’d forget until the had the next one and then he’d remember the previous ones. But the note stuck with him, he never forgot it.

It took some time before he felt he could try for the notebook. It was another late-night bathroom run after waking from a dream. He concentrated hard on a notebook, begged for it to come into existence and suddenly it was there. He stared at it, proud he’d managed to get it, before opening it.

The pages were full of words. Most of the words were written in the same scrawl as the note but the first few pages also held a different handwriting. As badly as Ignis wanted to read everything, he knew he only had a limited amount of time before someone would come looking; he knew he was still closely watched. He flipped to the last page that had words on it. He had no writing utensil, but the bathroom had some sewing supplies. Grabbing a pin, he pricked his finger and quickly wrote “Help me” using the pin as his pen and his own blood as the ink. He blew on it to help it dry faster and carefully dabbed it with a sheet of toilet paper before sending it off again.

Now all he could do was hope that whoever was on the other side of this magic would find the note and figure out a way to get him out of the hell he’d come accustomed to.

~*~*~*~*~

After the return on the notebook, Noctis immediately ran to the forensics lab in the security division. He asked them to run an analysis on the blood and to do it as quickly as possible. He needed to know. He needed to know that it was Ignis who had written those words.

Nothing got done over the next 36 hours as Noctis couldn’t concentrate on anything. All he managed to do was run some laps with Prompto and Gladio when he would otherwise just be pacing.

The others wanted those words to be from Ignis just as much as Noctis did but were a lot more skeptical about the circumstances.

“Why is the bond gone?” or “Why did it take him so long to make contact?”

Even when the lab confirmed the blood did indeed match Ignis’s, everyone cautioned Noctis to remain wary.

“The Niff may be manipulating him; we can’t storm in there without more information.”

It was frustrating, knowing Ignis—HIS MATE—was alive and not being allowed to do anything. All he could do was return the notebook (with the question “Who is this?”) to the Armiger and wait to see what happened.

An agonizingly long month passed before Noctis felt the notebook leave. Every time something was taken from his Armiger, he checked to see if it had been the notebook, but it was only ever Gladio or Prompto removing weapons for practice.

But now the notebook was out and Noctis waited. He glanced the time and counted the seconds it took before the notebook was back so that he could pull it through. He flipped to the end and his heart broke to see the still shaky lines written there. At least it wasn’t in blood this time as Noctis had thought to include a pen.

The written words were disjointed and full of half completed thoughts.

_I know the others call me Ignis. Always watching. Not at bathtime. They always say its good I’m not in Lucis. Is that where you are? Are you in my dreams? Dreams told me the magic. Are you the bond they broke? Always testing. Ardyn says he can’t claim yet. Eyes my neck and wants to bite each knot, each heat. Watches other alphas when he shares me. Help. Don’t want to be his._

Noctis felt the bile rising when it said Ardyn wanted to claim Ignis and he was quick to grab his trash can to vomit by the time he was finished.

Ardyn was not only knotting him but also allowing other alphas to as well. The thought made him heave again. Once his stomach was completely emptied and he found he couldn’t stop the tears, he called Gladio. All he managed was “come to my office” but he knew Gladio would hurry and likely grab Prompto too.

Sure enough, Gladio and Prompto burst through his office door just a few minutes later.

“What’s wrong?!” Prompto asked while Gladio looked around the office as if trying to find who had upset their friend.

Noctis pushed the notebook forward until it was at the edge of his desk. Prompto grabbed it to read, with Gladio looking over his shoulder. Prompto finished looking unsteady and pale, but he managed to keep his stomach contents as he collapsed in one of the chairs opposite Noctis.

Gladio was furious, “The fuck?”

All Noctis could do was look up at him, miserable that he had left Ignis to such a terrible fate. How close had he been to him when they were in the Keep? Why didn’t he push for more information?

It took a moment for Noctis to register that Gladio was on the phone. He guessed he was talking to Clarus and that guess proved true whenever Clarus, Cor, and Regis entered Noctis’s office a few moments later. Gladio handed the notebook to his father and after the older men read it, Regis came around the back of Noctis’s desk and pulled him into a hug.

“What do we do, Dad?” Noctis asked as new tears began to flow.

“We’ll figure it out. I promise, Noctis. We’ll get Ignis back no matter what consequences there might be.”

~*~*~*~*~

Ignis didn’t dare to check for the notebook for about a month for fear getting caught with it. He prayed that whoever was on the other side would give him something, anything that was reminiscent of hope. He pulled it out again when he had the opportunity for a bath. These times were far and few between but they were a chance to relax for some time without all the eyes watching him. He frowned when the only thing written was “Who is this?” but he realized that there was a pen included so perhaps all hope wasn’t lost yet.

He did his best to write. A lot of if was muscle memory as he hadn’t been allowed pen and paper since he’d gotten there. He felt slow and dumb; frustrated beyond belief with his inability to articulate what he wanted. After he sent it back again, he finished a quick bath and returned to the world of dutiful, Keep omegas.

After the next time that Besithia came to draw blood, Ardyn was informed the drugs were beginning to wear off. It was taking longer for alpha influence to be destroyed. Ardyn celebrated the news by knotting Ignis, paying special attention to the mating gland.

“You’ll be mine within a month,” Ardyn purred between kisses to the gland. This was followed by a hand running over Ignis’s abdomen, “And you’ll be plump with my child after your next heat. What beautiful babies we’ll make.”

Ignis’s last spark of hope went out. Whoever was on the other end of the notebook would never reach him in time, even if they wanted to. He was already beginning to figure a way out of this fate, thinking of the dagger how easy it would be to end it all in the middle of the night. Anything would be better than being Ardyn’s omega. No matter what the others said, Ardyn was a terrible person and not one to be praised. Ignis may not remember anything about his life before coming to the Keep, but he knew Ardyn had had his bond broken, Ardyn was keeping close eyes on him, and Ardyn was being sure he was more drugged or magicked or whatever was keeping him in a compliant daze than any of the other omegas. Ardyn’s promise of having more freedoms once Ignis was claimed was an empty one. Ignis knew he might not be under as much scrutiny but he imagined he’d then remember his life before and be worse off because of it.

He knew he’d have to gain the courage to pull the dagger back out and he hoped he found it before this promised fate worse than death came.

~*~*~*~*~

The closer they got to Zegnautus Keep, the angrier Noctis became. It hadn’t been quite a year since he was last here and he was back. With him were his two personal Crownsguard as well as Cor. They came on the pretense of Noctis being ready to choose a new omega; one to replace the one lost.

“We are more than happy to journey to you as it is far fewer people to ferry across the world,” was the line fed to the Empire.

Every unclaimed omega was to be brought out for Noctis inspect, just as he had done almost five years ago. It was just as bad now as it was then. Only this time Ignis wasn’t among the crowd.

“This is every unclaimed omega?” Noctis asked, trying to stay calm.

Caligo, who was once again the man parading these poor souls, guaranteed that it was but some naïve cadet got halfway through asking about Ardyn’s pet before his voice petered off under the murderous glare of the commander.

“There’s another unclaimed omega?” Noctis asked.

“Technically, yes,” Caligo hedged.

“Then technically, they should be out here, correct?”

“The omega in question is all but claimed…”

“If the omega is not bonded then I am allowed to decide if I want them. I know the rules behind this exchange and I know any breach in those rules would be considered just cause for an unneeded conflict between our countries.”

“Fine, this way,” Caligo huffed as he turned and headed out the door. Noctis watched as he spoke into an earpiece, presumably telling Ardyn they were coming.

An elevator ride and a few corridors later, they stood outside a door labeled “Omega Suite.” It must have had good ventilation as there was no indication that there were omegas anywhere on this floor minus a faint whiff of janitors.

Caligo knocked three times, waited a beat, and then opened the door. Noctis’s senses were immediately hit with strong scent of alpha-omega sex. Worse was hearing a scream pleasure escape from the omega sitting on Ardyn’s lap. Ardyn with one hand gripped tightly to the omega’s hip and the other stroking the omega’s cock, pulling the orgasm out of the omega as his knot fully inflated, locking them together.

Noctis and his entourage stared in abject horror as Ardyn looked over Ignis’s shoulder and with a lecherous smile said, “I thought I’d get one more knot in him before you stole him away.” 

~*~*~*~*~

Ardyn was still stroking Ignis’s cock, even as the omega had collapsed back into him. He was panting, body twitching from overstimulation, eyes unable to focus. Ardyn then started moving just a little, allowing the knot to rock inside of him so that it occasionally hit just the right spot that had him gasping.

When a familiar scent reached him, one that reminded him of home and safety and love, Ignis attempted to focus on the group of people who had entered the room. One stood out in particular: thin body, pale skin, dark hair. The one from his dream. The one that was surely on the other side of the notebook.

“No…” Ignis muttered. No, why now? Why did he have to show up now? Why was he here when Ignis was at his absolute lowest? Ardyn must have planned it. The chancellor had hurried in a few minutes ago and forced him on his cock. No preparation than the general readiness all the omegas were required to remain in. It had hurt but Ardyn pushed all the right buttons and Ignis had melted into the alpha as he always did.

Tears fell down his face as he continued to be pleasured by Ardyn inside him. “No…” he muttered again realizing how broken he was. He didn’t deserve the man who stood just in the doorway. Why didn’t he have the courage to call the dagger the night Ardyn had told him he’d soon be claimed? It would have been better to have never seen the man, seen the horror in his eyes, the realization that he’d come for nothing more than the trash he was.

“I don’t think he wants to leave,” Ardyn said and Ignis could hear the smirk in his voice.

The dark haired man was suddenly beside them. Ignis tried to look away, but gentle hands gripped his face and thumbs lightly rubbed the tears streaming down his face. There was love and kindness in those hands and Ignis couldn’t help but shift his eyes so that he was looking at the man. Pale face, dark hair, stormy blue eyes, and an expression that wasn’t one of disgust but something more akin to relief.

For a brief moment, Ignis focused just enough to remember this man’s name. “Noooooct,” he managed to get out before Ardyn moved inside of him just so causing him to moan in pleasure his body felt but his mind hated.

“That’s right, Igs, I’m here,” the man assured, completely ignoring Ardyn. “I’m here and I’m going to take you home.”

~*~*~*~*~

It felt an eternity before Ardyn released his grip on Ignis. Noctis wondered how long he left the deflated knot inside of the man before finally pushing him off unceremoniously. Ignis fell as Ardyn stood. He didn’t even look at the abused omega, he just turned to the other omegas cowering in the corner of the room and without a word they went to him and began to pamper him. They did so until he was pulled behind a door that was shut tight.

“Ignis?” Noctis asked, placing a hand on the omega’s face, rubbing soothing circles with his thumb. But Ignis was completely out of it. His once brilliant green eyes were faded and unfocused. Those instances he did seem aware of what was around him, it was as if he curled into himself, trying to hide away.

It was seconds before the others started moving but it felt like years to Noctis. A blanket was pulled from the Armiger and wrapped around Ignis. Gladio pulled the omega into his arms while Prompto helped Noctis, who suddenly found it very difficult to stand. A lowly servant was all that remained to show them out but none of them questioned it. They immediately went to their cars. Gladio carefully laid Ignis in the back of one with Noctis as Cor got behind the wheel. Once Ignis was situated, Gladio shut the door before joining Prompto at a second car. They left the Keep, each hoping they’d never have to return.

Cor drove them to a hospital well away from downtown. It wasn’t the most sophisticated with the latest technologies, but it was where Serena Scientia worked. Prompto was supposed to call as they made their way there, informing the Scientias they had their son. They hadn’t wanted to tell them beforehand, not wanting to give them hope if the truth wasn’t there. Noctis hated the thought of staying in Gralea any longer, but he knew the Scientias needed to see their son.

Serena was waiting for them when Cor pulled up to the emergency room. She ran to the car, other nurses with a gurney following her.

“Ignis,” was all Serena managed to say as the hospital staff got to work. They carefully pulled Ignis from the back of the car, finding it difficult when the omega refused to let go of Noctis. His hand gripped Noctis’s shirt sleeve tight and the prince wondered if he was afraid it would all disappear if he let go.

He felt like that. He didn’t want to let go of Ignis or let him out of his sight. What if this was all a dream or someone came to take him away again? But the nurses carefully pried Ignis’s grip from Noctis and hurried him inside. Gladio and Prompto joined them as Cor went to park the car. It wasn’t much longer before Sophos joined them and they all took refuge in a little used staffroom in the hospital, waiting to hear anything about Ignis.

“How?” was the most coherent thought either of the Scientias managed to ask, with Sophos being the one to voice it. Noctis found he couldn’t answer but luckily Prompto took up the task with a little help from Gladio.

In the meantime, Noctis texted his father to let him know they were at the hospital and that he’d keep him informed with each new update.

Then they waited.

How much time passed before the doctor came to talk to them, Noctis didn’t know. He’d even stared at his phone most of the time but the numbers didn’t register. No one was doing much talking and all heads snapped to the door as soon as it opened.

“He’s sleeping,” the doctor said. Althos was his name. “Physically, there doesn’t seem much wrong. We are running blood tests to see what might be in his system so that we can work on detoxing him. As unfocused as he was, he’s been drugged with something. We’ll know within the next hour or so. Most of his troubles will be psychological, I’m afraid. I’d happily recommend some, but I imagine that you will want to return to Lucis soon.”

“Can we see him?” Serena asked.

“Yes, right this way.”

Althos led them to a private room that was just large enough to fit them all comfortably. They gathered around the bed and Sophos picked up a band sitting on the bedside table.

“That was on his wrist,” Althos said when questioned.

Noctis took it to examine it. There were red stones on it that seemed familiar. He couldn’t place it until Prompto said, “It’s the same magic from those ruins.”

“What?” Noctis asked.

“The Keep, it had that weird magic running through it, the same from the ruins, the same that the Niffs used to convince us to go with them. It wasn’t strong, but I could feel it.”

“Those are the same stones from those ruins,” Gladio said, taking the band from Noctis. “I bet it amplified the effect of the magic. Maybe they didn’t need to use drugs.”

“Get rid of it,” Noctis demanded, albeit quietly. No one argued and questioned the command, Gladio grasped it tightly as he, Prompto, and Cor left the room, allowing the family their chance alone.

~*~*~*~*~

He would never feel whole again. He would always feel broken and unworthy of the man he loved. But there were times when Noctis could make him believe he deserved it and as life continued, Noctis got better and better and making him feel loved.

Noctis was kind and patient with him. He never pushed or complained, he was there for him with whatever was needed. He whispered encouraging words to a crying omega, woken from a terrible dream. He was allowed all the time he needed to decide what he wanted now and ultimately, he still wanted to be at Noctis’s side, as a partner, a lover, a protector, and an adviser.

It took time and there was a lot of frustration, but with Noctis’s help, and the help of his friends and family, Ignis was slowly able to move past the horrors Ardyn had inflicted on him and live the life his prince promised that he deserved.

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah.
> 
> I don't think I'd ever write the darkest timeline. I just...I have to have a happy(ish) ending. I just can't imagine Noct getting to Ignis after Ardyn made the claim.


End file.
